McAlexia Love Stories
by evans516
Summary: Another one shot series similar to "Moments in Time" summaries at the top of each chapter :)
1. Cat Fight

**hello all! thanks for checking out my new story! it'll be really similar to moments, just wanted to start a new series because i like how the last chapter of moments tied everything up!  
and based on the question i asked at the end of my last story and the responses i got, i couldn't resist this once i got the idea ;) enjoy!**

 **Summary : Steve isn't the only one with a jealous streak.**

 _Cat Fight_

 _1998_

Alexia was too excited that weekend as she drove to DC to surprise Steve for his birthday. She made up some story about how she had to stay in Boston, claiming she had a huge midterm on Monday. Meanwhile she didn't actually have a test for a few weeks and her Friday classes got cancelled, allowing her drive all day to get there just in time that night to meet up with him and his friends at their favorite bar.

She called his old roommate from college and still best friend Nate, asking him where to meet; while they weren't roommates anymore, they were still working together. It worked out even better because Nate's girlfriend, Monica, was in town visiting that weekend as well. She spotted Nate and Monica sitting in a booth facing her way, with Steve's back to her as he sat across from them. She slowly tip toed up behind him, preparing to cover his eyes with her hands.

"Hi Lex," Steve said before she even had a chance.

"Ok," she said in frustration as he turned to her. " _How_ do you do that?" She could never sneak up on him.

"Mirror," he nodded across the bar with a grin to where he had seen her reflection. "What are you doing here?" he asked as he got up to hug her close.

"It's your birthday," she laughed as he let her go, kissing him once. "That for me?" she asked of the extra beer sitting at the table.

"Um, me," a voice said lightly and Alexia saw the girl reaching for her beer. "Hi, I'm Catherine. You must be Lex?"

"Yeah," Alexia nodded, casting a glance at Steve who didn't seem to notice.

"I just wanted to grab my drink," she said, holding up her beer. "Happy birthday Steve," she tacked on as she left; she paid no attention to anyone else, just Steve, which was what bothered Alexia.

"Who's that?" Alexia asked as Steve sat down, sliding over to let her next to him.

"Catherine," Steve said, a little confused since she literally just introduced herself; Alexia smiled sweetly.

"And you know her how?" she asked; he really wasn't getting it.

"Work," he explained, taking a drink.

"I didn't know you worked with a Catherine," she said, stealing his beer and sipping now.

"I thought I mentioned it," Steve shrugged now.

"Oh Steve," Monica chuckled to herself.

"To be fair babe," Nate cut in. "He's usually the one making that face, so he probably doesn't get it."

"Get what?" Steve raised his eye brows.

"Lex is jealous," Nate pointed out simply, drinking his own beer.

"I am not," Alexia protested.

"Oh. My. God," Steve was saying at the same time, a huge grin spreading across his face. How had he not realized that was what was going on? Now that he did though, he couldn't help but find it funny, considering in their relationship it was always him that was jealous.

"No," Alexia shook her head, officially taking his beer to drink since she had yet to get her own. After all these years of talking him down about being jealous she certainly wasn't going to admit to it now.

"Alexia," he started off.

"I am not," she shook her head again.

"Danielle," he continued.

"Why are you middle naming me?" she asked seriously; she looked to Monica who laughed, making her smile a little.

"Moran," he finished. "You're jealous."

"Nope," she shook her head.

"After all this time," he continued. "I thought it was just me." He turned to Nate. "I've never been on the other side of this, I don't know what to say."

"May I?" Nate asked and Steve motioned for him to go ahead; Monica giggled while Alexia rolled her eyes. "I don't see what the big deal is," Nate said, quoting both Alexia and Monica when either of their guys got jealous, both men having similar personalities.

"Oh, good one," Steve nodded in agreement. "How about," he said, getting ready for another quote. "We're really just friends." Alexia playfully shoved his arm.

"You have nothing to worry about," Nate continued.

"Guys can be friends with girls without wanting anything," Steve went on.

"Why do you always assume they want to sleep with me," Nate added on.

"I love _you_ ," Steve emphasized, touching his heart dramatically. "It doesn't matter about anyone else."

"Aw," Nate said. "Why haven't I ever gotten that one?" he asked his girlfriend; now Monica was rolling her eyes.

"Are you two done?" Alexia laughed.

"You're cute when you're jealous," Steve smirked, kissing her cheek.

"Well, I must just be cute then, because I'm not jealous," Alexia insisted, finishing the beer.

"That was mine," he laughed.

"Then I'll get more," she laughed, kissing him once before heading up to the bar. She wasn't really jealous per say, she knew Steve would never cheat on her, but she didn't like how Catherine was _looking_ at her boyfriend; maybe she was finally starting to see his side of things.

"You out too?" she heard someone saying and looked to her left to see Catherine there; perfect.

"Oh, yeah," Alexia nodded, realizing as she set the empty beer bottle on the bar.

"It is so great you got to surprise Steve for his birthday," she continued. There was a certain fakeness Alexia couldn't shake about this girl. "I know he's missed you, he talks about you a lot."

"I've missed him too," Alexia nodded with a polite smile. Wow did she just wish this girl would go away.

"It must be really hard," Catherine continued. "Being so far away from each other." She was picking at Alexia on purpose, she knew that; Lex just tried to ignore it.

"We make it work," Alexia told her.

"Right, but you're all the way in Boston, he's all the way here," she went on. "Who knows," she shrugged.

"I do," she said back.

"You're in med school though, right?" Catherine asked and Alexia nodded. "There's got to be a ton of good looking doctors up in New England," she was smirking.

"Tons," Alexia nodded, smirking back. "They're not really my type though." She stopped, picking up her and Steve's beers. "If you're interested, I'll send one your way."

"They're not really my type either," Catherine said, glancing back over at Steve.

"Ah ha," Alexia half laughed, setting down her beer. Across the bar at the booth, the other three were observing but had looked away for now.

"You really think Lex is jealous?" Steve asked Nate; to him it looked like they were just talking up at the bar.

"I'm telling you man," Nate insisted. "That's the _exact_ look you have when-" He stopped short when they heard a loud noise. Looking over at the commotion, they saw Alexia and Catherine in a fight on the floor; both guys were up in a flash to go break it up.

"Lex, Lex, hey," Steve said, having to pry her off of his co-worker, Nate pulling Catherine back.

"OhmyGod, I think that bitch broke my nose!" Catherine was saying, blood pouring out of her nose.

"Bitch?!" Alexia snapped.

"Whoa!" Steve said, catching her around the middle to keep her from breaking something else. "Come here," he said.

"Let go of me," she protested as he nearly dragged her outside.

"Wow," Steve said, biting his lip to keep from laughing once they were outside the bar together on the sidewalk.

"What are you laughing at?" Alexia demanded, still fired up.

"Are you ok?" Steve said, continuing to stifle a laugh.

"Her stupid face hurt my hand," Alexia protested.

"Her stupid face," Steve echoed in amusement, taking her hand and looking at it. "It's not too bad, at least you remembered what I told you about making a fist." She didn't look amused. "Well, I know one thing."

"What?" she asked.

"I'll never egg you on about being jealous again," Steve teased her and she warmed up a little.

"I'm not jealous," she half protested still.

"Of course not," Steve agreed, kissing her forehead.

 **thanks for reading! :) i really hope you liked it! sorry, i couldn't resist after all the comments everyone's made lol let me know what you thought, more one shots soon! :)**


	2. Happy Haunting

**thanks so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! you guys rock! this short came to mind watching all the old scary movies as halloween approaches...and since i posted a halloween short last year, it seemed appropriate, enjoy!**

 **Summary : Maybe Alexia has been watching too many scary movies.**

 _Happy Haunting_

 _2015_

"Babe!" Steve called up the stairs at his wife. It was Halloween night and he was taking Jack and Lucy trick or treating while Alexia stayed home to pass out candy; twelve year old Julia decided that she was too old to go trick or treating, opting to go over to Grace's for the night instead for a sleepover. Steve was standing with nine year old Lucy, who was dressed as a witch, waiting for Alexia to come downstairs with four year old Jack for his first ever trick or treat.

"Is he almost ready?" Steve called now. Trick or treat was about to start and Lucy was bouncing on her feet in anticipation. Truthfully, this was one of Steve's favorite nights of the year because he loved taking the kids out trick or treating.

"All set," Alexia grinned as she was coming down the stairs, leading Jack by the hand.

"Oh no," Steve murmured under his breath. The rainbow wig; the jumpsuit with the polka dots; the red nose.

"Daddy, look!" Jack exclaimed. "I'm a clown!" Lucy snorted to keep from laughing, the girls knowing by now about their father's irrational fear.

"I see that," Steve nodded, smiling fakely.

"Mommy helped me pick it," Jack said.

"No kidding," Steve said, casting a look at his wife who was biting her lip to fight off her own laughter.

"Are you ready Jack?" Lucy asked, handing him his plastic pumpkin bucket.

"You guys have fun!" Alexia called after them as they headed out the front door.

"You're the worst," Steve informed his wife.

"No, I love you more," Alexia grinned at him and he made a face.

"What are you gonna do all night anyway?" he asked, since she usually had company to pass out candy.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Probably just watch whatever movies they have on." She smirked. "Maybe It."

"I'm not talking to you," he announced, though he did give her a quick peck on the cheek before following the kids down the front walk.

"You promise?!" Alexia shouted after him, feeling pretty pleased with herself as she went back inside, settling on the couch to watch her movie marathon.

* * *

Alexia woke up on the couch, not sure how long she had dozed off for. She laid there for a moment, her eyes still hazy with sleep, taking in her surroundings. She wasn't in her house that she shared with Steve and her kids, but she did recognize this place. The old couch, the mismatched furniture from various thrift stores, the overall tiny space.

"Hey!" one of her college roommates, Jill, said as she tossed Alexia's duffel bag at her. "Good, you're up."

"Jill?" Alexia asked in confusion. Her college apartment in Maryland?

"Lex," Jill joked back, making a face. "C'mon, Em's waiting in the car."

"For...what?" Alexia asked, getting up. She glanced in a mirror and saw a nineteen year old version of herself staring back.

"Halloweekend at my parents' cabin," Jill reminded her. "Deep Creek Lake, remember?" She glanced her roommate over. "What's going on with you?"

"I just had this...really weird dream," Alexia shook it off. Everything felt so real; maybe the house was the dream, with her thinking up her future. "Where's Steve?" she asked and Jill sighed.

"I know you're still a little sour because he can't make it up this weekend," Jill said. "But, it'll still be fun." She grinned, grabbing her own bag from the floor. "Now, seriously, c'mon. Ethan and Matt are already at the cabin." She grinned. "They got the beer."

"Can't wait," Alexia said with a fake smile as she followed Jill out the door. She wanted to call Steve before she left, but with her roommates rushing her out the door it wasn't possible.

* * *

While she was missing Steve, it was working out to be more fun than anticipated. Thankfully, her friends weren't the type to cling to their boyfriends, making her feel like a huge fifth wheel. After they got up to the cabin, they cooked out while the sun started to go down. Once it was dark, they lit a bon fire and were sitting around talking.

"You guys know about what happened up here, right?" Matt, Emily's new boyfriend was asking.

"Oh please," Jill rolled her eyes, excusing herself to go into the house the bring out more to drink. She knew one of the guys was going to try to start something like this with it being Halloween and all. With her being from Maryland and Emily just across the border in Pennsylvania, they both had grown up hearing local legends.

"I'm betting Lex is the only one who hasn't heard it," Emily said, nudging Alexia's shoulder in teasing. After all, she had grown up not far from Deep Creek and Jill's family obviously had a house there; both Matt and Ethan had grown up nearby so they knew the stories.

"What?" Alexia asked.

"You know this used to be a summer camp, right?" he was asking. "Until they had to close it down because of the murders."

"I've heard this before," Alexia said in confusion.

"BS!" Emily called, laughing. "You're from Hawaii. Do they even have ghost stories in Hawaii?"

"No, just the north east," Alexia made a funny face at her and Emily made one back. "Seriously though, that's Friday the 13th. My brother showed me that movie when I was eight, we watch it every year."

"Don't you think all those stories are based off some truth?" Matt asked her now and she rolled her eyes.

"No," she said simply. "Because if there was some psycho in the woods with a machete, I think we would have heard about it on the news."

"Careful," Emily joked. "The skeptics always go first."

"Ha ha," Alexia said, finishing her beer. "Did you guys see where Jill and Ethan went?" No one noticed that, during Matt's story, Ethan had gone to follow Jill into the house.

"They haven't seen each other in a month," Emily pointed out as she sipped her own beer, with Ethan going to school in Virginia. "Where do _you_ think?" she joked.

"Well, if this is a scary movie, they'll go first then," Alexia said, making the others laugh.

"You two head inside," Matt nodded at the cabin. "I'm gonna go on a beer run."

"Drive safe," Emily told him, kissing him once before following Alexia inside.

"What's that?" Alexia asked, nodding back the hall of the one floor cabin. There was something on the floor next to Jill's door in the hall.

"I don't know," Emily shrugged while Alexia walked over. "Lex, c'mon, they probably want some privacy," she said, though she did follow her room mate.

"Em," Alexia said seriously. "It's blood."

"Are you guys screwing with me?" Emily asked defensively as Alexia pushed the bedroom door open.

"OH MY GOD!" she screamed. There was blood all over the room.

"Jill!" Emily was screaming at the same time, though screaming wasn't going to do any good.

"We have to get out of here," Alexia said, grabbing Emily's hand and leading her outside.

"Shouldn't we call for help?" Emily resisted.

"We can do that in town," Alexia insisted. She knew staying at the cabin was a bad idea, that whoever had killed Jill and Ethan had to be close.

"Do you think it's-"

"Don't say it," Alexia warned as they walked through the dark towards where they parked the cars.

"C'mon Lex," Emily insisted.

"Yes," Alexia rolled her eyes. "I think it's Jason, and that Deep Creek Lake is actual Crystal Lake, and that we're all _screwed_ because we've been partying all night and none of us are-"

"AHH!" Emily shrieked.

"Don't do that!" Alexia insisted, having jumped about a foot in the air. "What are you screaming at?" Emily just pointed to Matt's car, with the door wide open, his body inside and the ground soaked in blood. "Em," Alexia said, trying to stay calm. "We have to get out of here, ok? Where are your keys?" Emily handed her the keys, both girls running over to Emily's car.

"I don't believe this," Emily said, fighting off tears.

"Dammit!" Alexia said in frustration, the car not starting. "AHHH!" she was screaming now, seeing the masked killer coming towards the car. They moved to lock the doors while she fought to get the car started.

"OH MY GOD!" Emily screamed as the glass of her window broke.

"Em!" Alexia called, unlocking her own door and falling out, pulling her roommate over the seat with her. They took off running in the woods, back towards the cabin. Alexia thought Emily was right behind her, but when she looked over her shoulder she wasn't with her anymore, having fallen behind; she heard screaming. Against her better judgement she headed back towards the house to call for help; naturally the phone was dead.

"Ah!" she jumped, feeling someone touch her.

"Lex, it's me!" Steve assured her, getting her to look at him instead of trying to fight him.

"What are you doing here?" Alexia asked.

"I came up to surprise you," Steve explained. "I just saw Ethan and Jill, what the hell is going on?"

"We've gotta get out of here," Alexia told him now.

"No kidding," Steve said, taking her hand and leading her back towards his car. "What's going on baby?" he asked as he attempted to start his car.

"I don't know," Alexia shook her head. "Matt was telling this stupid story, then Ethan and Jill disappeared, then we found Matt in his car and now Emily's gone," she was rattling off.

"Lex, it's ok," Steve assured her. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

"Why isn't your car starting?" she demanded, then noticed something behind him at his window; it was the killer. "STEVE WATCH OUT!"

* * *

"STEVE!" Alexia was screaming in her sleep.

"Whoa, whoa, easy!" Steve said, with her practically wrestling him as he tried to wake her. "Lex!" he said and she woke up, calming down. "What's wrong?" he asked gently as she looked around. There she was, back in her house, her kids sorting their candy on the kitchen table while she was on the couch with Steve.

"Mommy?" Jack was asking, coming over. "I got you a cup!" he said, with his word for reese's cups.

"Oh, thank you," she told him, kissing his head; she heard the scary movie music on the tv. "Can you turn that off?" she asked her husband. He smirked at her.

"You scared?" he asked though he did oblige her by turning it off.

"Not funny," Alexia insisted, though it did seem like karma for what she did with the clown costume.

"C'mon," he said, kissing her head before helping her up off the couch. "Less movies, more candy."

"Sounds like a plan to me," she smiled, following him into the kitchen.

 **thanks for reading! :) hope you liked the yearly halloween special lol please let me know what you thought! enjoy celebrating my favorite holiday lol anyone doing anything fun? costumes? would love to hear about it! enjoy your weekend! :)**


	3. Can't Do This

**thanks so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! you guys really are the best! :) :) thought up this short while i was re-reading some old ones...since the last two have been lighter/more fun i decided to get back to a serious one**

 **Summary : What really pushed Alexia to finally send the papers.**

 _Can't Do This_

 _2009_

"You're making it sound like I _want_ to go," Steve told Alexia the night after Thanksgiving. He had just got back the day before, surprising his girls at John's home. Now, he already had to leave again. He already tucked each of his daughters in, saying goodbye to them individually. Lucy teared up and squeezed him tight; Julia turned over away from him and muttered that she loved him.

"No body made you join," she grumbled to herself; he saw where Julia got it from, not that any of them didn't have a reason to be upset that he was so absent.

"It's not going to be for much longer," he assured her.

"Can you give me a date?" Alexia raised her eye brows; he didn't respond. "Ok then." She handed him a plastic bag full of left overs. "Have a safe trip," she kissed him once. "Love you."

"Hey," Steve stopped her on the stairs. "I'm gonna fix it."

"Ok," she nodded though she didn't believe him as she went upstairs to their room and closed the door. She sat on their bed alone, letting out a deep breath as she laid down and tried to clear her mind, falling asleep easier than she had in who knew how long.

* * *

Steve had made a mistake.

He told Alexia where he was going, maybe in an attempt to appease her. While she would still be worried about him being gone, she would at least not have to wonder what part of the world he was in. That, however, was a massive mistake as she was watching the news that morning. There was an attack the previous night, a bombing specifically. Normally the news would make her feel sick, but knowing that it was where Steve was supposed to be actually made her vomit in the trash can.

She sent Julia to school still, calling off of work as she walked Lucy over to a neighbor's home. After that, she just sat on the couch for hours; it felt like days. They said it was a tragedy. They said that a lot of people died, but not everyone there. They said they weren't releasing the names yet, though she continued to stare at the tv like it would give her answers before someone came to her door.

 _"Hello?"_ Danny answered his phone in confusion.

"Um, hey," Alexia said. She had just met Grace's dad a few weeks before at dance, after she had gotten into the argument on the phone with Steve in the parking long. "It's Lex, Julia and Lucy's mom?"

 _"Oh, hey,"_ Danny nodded.

"I got your number off the parent list," she explained. "Could you do me a huge favor?"

 _"What's wrong?"_ he asked in concern.

She had him picking up her girls to take to stay at his house for now with Grace. Until she had actual answers she wasn't fit to be around; she didn't want her daughters to see her like this. She only passed out that night due to pure exhaustion, though she was in her same spot on the couch she had been in for nearly sixteen hours. It wasn't a very deep or restful sleep though, the knock on the door waking her. She rushed over, hoping that when she pulled it open Steve would be on the other side.

But it was Nick, looking like he had been through hell and back.

"Oh my God," Alexia gasped as she collapsed against him, sobbing.

* * *

Alexia sat up that night gasping. As a reflex, she looked over next to her, but she remembered that Steve wouldn't be there. While she had this nightmare before, it seemed even worse than usual; her chest was tight, she felt like she couldn't breathe, causing her to reach for her phone. She tried Steve first but of course there was no answer. Next, she dialed a number of someone she knew would understand. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was three in the morning; it would be eight where she was calling.

 _"Hello?"_ Denise, Nick's wife, answered the phone. _"Lex, what's going on? What time is it there?"_ Hearing Denise's voice, Alexia started sobbing. _"What's going on? Do you know something I don't?"_ Denise asked, not meaning to snap, but Alexia was freaking her out.

"No, no," Alexia said. "I...I had the nightmare again." Denise has a very similar nightmare, though it was Steve that showed up at her door. Both women started having these dreams right around the time Nate died.

 _"Oh God,"_ Denise sighed, rubbing her forehead. _"Honey, I'm so sorry. Did you try Steve?"_

"No answer," Alexia said between tears. "Dee, I don't think I can do this anymore."

 _"You don't mean that,"_ Denise insisted. _"Look, Lex, you're scared. Go back to sleep and call me in a few hours ok?"_

"I'm serious," Alexia insisted. "I can't do this anymore, I can't be a military wife anymore. With not talking to him for weeks and not knowing where he's sleeping tonight and wondering if the next attack is going to be on-" She was pacing her room but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her bedroom door had been opened. _Shit_ , she thought to herself.

"I have to call you back Dee," Alexia said, hanging up quickly, tossing the phone on her bed before wiping quickly at her eyes. "What are you doing out of bed baby?" she asked Julia.

"I heard you," Julia told her. And it wasn't the first time she had heard Alexia cry at night; that was mostly why she was always so angry at her dad.

"You wanna sleep in here?" Alexia asked; Julia shook her head. "Me either," Alexia sighed. "C'mon, let's get you back to bed."

"Will you stay?" Julia asked as she got to her room.

"Sure," Alexia nodded, laying next to Julia. They were quiet awhile and Alexia hoped Julia had fallen back asleep; then she heard her sniffling.

"I'm really scared mom," Julia said, latching on to her.

"I know baby," Alexia assured her, kissing her head. "I know." It wasn't any use to pretend she wasn't scared too, which she felt bad because that had to magnify her daughter's fear.

* * *

"Where are you going?" John was asking Alexia. It was Saturday afternoon, with her dropping the girls off there for the day, saying she had errands to run but she wasn't very specific.

"I have some things to take care of," she said again vaguely, heading outside but he followed her on to the porch.

"You weren't the only one making late night phone calls last night," John told her. Alexia realized that while she used her cell phone it left the house phone wide open for use. "Julia called me and asked what she should do because she heard you crying again." He paused, looking her over. "She told me what you said."

"Are you surprised?" Alexia asked; John was quiet.

"No," he told her honestly.

"I know I don't get to ask you for favors right now," she said now, since they both knew she was going to see a divorce lawyer. "But, it has to come from me, he can't hear it from anyone else."

"I know," he nodded.

"I'm really sorry John," she said quietly before leaving.

"I am too," he told her as she left.

 **thanks for reading! hope you liked it, let me know what you thought! more soon! :)**


	4. The Surprise

**thanks so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! you guys are the best! i'm sorry i've been gone so long (and i'm sorry this next chapter is about to be depressing, but it'll help me deal with some stuff, i hope...writing is an expression right? it came to mind also bc i'm pretty sure someone suggested it in a review for moments) i really wanna get back to writing bc when i started it helped take my mind off stuff so would love ideas for a Christmas special from you guys! i'm sorry if this all seems like too much venting...you guys have just always been so great! anyway, here it goes...**

 **Summary : Some surprises are great, others not so much.**

 _The Surprise_

 _2011_

Alexia just stood in the downstairs bathroom that morning, the house empty, just staring at the counter. It wasn't so much the counter she was staring at, but the positive pregnancy test. There was no way, right? How could she be pregnant again so soon? Jack was barely six months old, she was still nursing. She knew you could still get pregnant then, but it just didn't seem real to her that it would happen again so soon. Shoving the test back into the box, she prepared to leave the bathroom.

"AH!" she screamed when she stepped out and saw someone in the house, throwing the box at them as a reflex; it was only Danny. "Jeez Danny," she breathed out, relieved. "You scared the hell out of me."

"Uh huh," Danny nodded, holding up the box as if questioning what was going on, raising his eye brows at her.

"Don't you ever knock?" she muttered, snatching the box out of his hands.

"I did, the door was open," he said, following her into the kitchen. He watched her toss the test in the trash before covering it in paper towels. "Where's Steve?" He wasn't going to question the test just yet.

"Ah, he left early," Alexia waved it off. "Said he would drop the kids off since I didn't feel well."

"So, it's positive?" Danny asked now and she gave him a look. "What's wrong?"

"My head is spinning, I _just_ had Jack six months ago," Alexia listed off. "I don't know what to think, not to mention how Steve is gonna-"

"Let me stop you," Danny said gently. "Have you met your husband?" She lightly rolled her eyes. "I'm serious, what's happened every time you've told him you're pregnant?"

Alexia stopped to reflect. She had been excited to tell him about Julia, their first baby; it had been his birthday and she presented the sonogram in his card. He was beyond thrilled, picking her up to kiss her before calling everyone they knew. She wasn't sure how to tell him about Lucy, considering she found out at the same time his friend Nate had been killed. She told him the night of the funeral, and while the overall mood was still somber, he did smile. She was nervous to tell him about Jack with everything that had been going on, but again he was excited, kissing her big like he had over Julia.

"Ok," Alexia nodded.

"It'll be fine," Danny assured her. "Just tell him."

* * *

Alexia waited at home that evening, having picked up Jack after leaving work, alone with him at the house for now. She had started dinner while she waited for Steve to get home; he was going to be picking up Lucy from cheerleading practice after work while Julia was still going to be with Grace at soccer. With dinner on the stove she sat in the kitchen with the baby, rocking him in his carrier. She couldn't believe that in nine months there was going to be another one of him.

"We're back!" Steve called, entering the house with Lucy.

"Hi mommy!" five year old Lucy said, poking her head into the kitchen before running upstairs to change.

"Hey," Steve smiled, kissing his wife after not seeing her since that morning. "You feeling better?"

"Oh...yeah," Alexia nodded.

"How was your day?" Steve asked her.

 _"We're back!"_ Julia called from the front of the house. _"And going upstairs!"_

"Ok!" Alexia called back. "Weird," she told Steve.

"Yeah?" Steve questioned. "Tell me about it." As if on cue, Jack started crying. "Aw, what's wrong buddy?" Steve asked, picking him up but that hardly seemed to soothe him.

"Steve, I-" Alexia was having trouble finding the words. There was now scrambling on the stairs.

"Max, no!" Julia said, her and Grace running downstairs. They flew into the kitchen, chasing after a puppy.

"Julia," Steve said seriously.

"Can we keep him?" Julia asked, her and Grace both giving him big eyes. She had planned to keep the dog upstairs through dinner when she could ask them before springing it on them, but the puppy had other plans.

"You know your mom is allergic," Steve reminded her. The puppy broke free from the girls again, running circles in the kitchen; Jack was still crying, the girls were running again to catch it.

"Cool, a puppy!" Lucy exclaimed from the doorway. "Can we keep it?" Steve shot Alexia a strained look.

"Steve, I'm pregnant," she informed him over the noise. His look went from strained to confused.

"Julia, take the dog outside," Steve told her and all three girls shuffled out.

"Mommy's having another baby?" Lucy questioned, to which her big sister shrugged, leading them all out to the back yard.

"...what?" Steve asked her now; Jack had turned from crying to just sniffling.

"I...am," she said slowly, not believing she just blurted it out like that. "Pregnant," she said finally.

"Really?" Steve asked her smiling, rocking Jack back and forth.

"You're happy?" Alexia asked him; of course he was.

"Yeah," Steve laughed. "C'mon Lex, as crazy as it gets around here, you have to admit it's fun." He laughed. "Even the puppy." Alexia laughed too.

"Even the puppy," she smiled in agreement. They were going to have another baby and everything was going to be fine, her nerves finally settling.

* * *

A month passed since Alexia found out she was pregnant. They had told their friends, their daughters, the rest of their family; everyone was happy for them. It was crazy close to their last kid, but if anyone could handle it, it was them. As time went by the excitement continued to build for the parents; they loved all three of their kids, they loved being parents, so another pregnancy was a thrill for them.

Then everything came to a screeching halt.

Alexia laid on the table at the doctor's office alone, having insisted that it was ok because Steve was in the middle of a big case; she was never so wrong.

The words _no heartbeat_ were echoing through her head.

 _No._

 _Heartbeat._

"Alexia," Dr. Hooper was saying to her gently, her doctor through her first three pregnancies. "Honey, do you understand me?"

"I..." She couldn't say the word miscarried right now if her life depended on it.

"It wasn't anything you did," Dr. Hooper reiterated. "This is very common with pregnancies that are close together. The body doesn't have enough time to heal and prepare for a new baby." Alexia heard her, but her voice started sounding farther and farther away; she couldn't focus or think straight.

"Can I go home?" Alexia asked abruptly; she shook her head. "I, um, just want to see my husband."

"Of course," the doctor nodded and Alexia didn't wait another second before heading out the door, passing by the front desk on her way out the main entrance to her car. She walked fine, went through the motions ok. But when she got into the car, she felt like she couldn't breathe; she felt tears flooding her cheeks. She knew there was no way she could drive, reaching for her cell phone.

"Hello?" Steve answered, just getting back to HQ with Danny and Chin.

 _"Can...can you come get me,"_ Alexia stammered out.

"Lex, what's wrong?" Steve asked worriedly, Danny and Chin giving him a concerned look.

 _"I'm at Dr. Hooper's,"_ she continued, speech broken by tears. _"Can you...can you get here, please?"_

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way," he said quickly, hanging up. "Guys, I gotta go," he said, the others nodding for him to leave as he hopped back into his car, speeding out of the lot. He sped the whole way to the office which was a few miles away, pulling his car into the space next to Alexia's.

"Hey," he said, opening her door and kneeling next to her. "I'm here, I'm here," he said quickly. "What's wrong?" She said something at first, though it was inaudible. "What's-"

"I lost it," Alexia said now.

"What?" Steve asked softly.

"I lost the baby Steve," she said, crying more. "I miscarried, I-"

"Shh," Steve soothed her. "Come here," he helped her stand, hugging her close while she sobbed into his chest. "Shh,shhh," he soothed her, kissing her hair, blinking back tears of his own. "Let's go home, ok?"

* * *

Alexia spent the weekend in bed, with Steve coming to check on her frequently. The girls knew that something wasn't right, but they didn't ask because things were that somber. Friday, the day the parents found out, Danny offered to take the kids to stay with him and Grace, giving them time alone together. Sunday night, Danny was bringing the kids back since they were going to have school Monday.

"Head upstairs for bed," Steve told his daughters, taking the baby from Danny.

"How's Lex?" Danny asked quietly as the girls went upstairs together.

"I got her to use up more of her vacation time," Steve said, though it didn't take much convincing since she hardly got out of bed. "I _hate_ seeing her like this."

"How are you doing?" Danny asked seriously now; Steve just waved it off. "Seriously man, it wasn't just her baby."

"Right now, I just wanna make sure she gets better," Steve insisted and Danny nodded.

"I don't know how you wanted to handle this with Julia and Lucy," Danny started off. "But, Rachel came by to surprise Grace for a weekend trip, I asked to keep her for the weekend with the girls and explained why. When I turned around, they were all there." Steve sighed. "I'm sorry," Danny told him seriously.

"Don't worry about it," Steve told him sincerely. "They were going to have to find out sometime," he said, adjusting Jack as he prepared to go talk to his daughters. "I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

"In a few days," Danny told him. "You use up some vacation time too," he said before shutting the door behind him. Steve took Jack to the nursery, tucking him in before heading down the hall. He asked Julia to come with him to Lucy's room so he could talk to them, Julia hopping up onto the bed to sit next to her sister.

"Is mom ok?" Julia asked first.

"Mom is ok," Steve reassured them.

"Is she sad about the new baby?" Lucy asked innocently. She heard Danny say to Rachel that Alexia lost the baby. While she didn't know exactly what that meant, she knew lost couldn't be good.

"She is," Steve nodded sadly.

"Are we still gonna get to meet them?" Lucy asked enthusiastically, thinking maybe the baby was lost like in a store but could come back. "Like baby Jack?"

"No, sweetheart," Steve swallowed hard. "I'm afraid not."

"...what happened?" Julia asked.

"Well," Steve sighed, not sure how to word it. "You remember how, when Grandpa John died, we talked about how he went to heaven? So, he would always be with us?" Both girls nodded. "The new baby," he said gently. "Went up to heaven."

"Before it was even born?" eight year old Julia asked in confusion, not able to wrap her head around it; Steve nodded sadly.

"I think Grandpa John will take good care of the new baby," Lucy said positively.

"Me too," Steve nodded in agreement. "So, Grandpa John and the baby are always going to be be," he pointed at Lucy's heart first. "Right here," he pointed at Julia's now. "Ok?"

"Ok," both girls nodded.

"Can Julesy sleep in here?" Lucy asked.

"Absolutely," Steve nodded, kissing both of their heads before leaving the room, gently closing the door behind him. He turned to go down the hall, startled slightly when he saw someone there, though it was Alexia. "Hey," he smiled weakly at her. "You wanna get something to eat? We can order some late take out or-"

"I heard what you said in there," she stopped him; Steve wasn't sure if that was good or bad right now. "I...really like that idea," she admitted softly. "That your dad gets to take care of the baby."

"Me too," Steve agreed, taking her hand. "Come here," he said, hugging her close and kissing her head. "I love you."

"I love you too," she sniffed, blinking away tears.

 **thanks for reading! :) so...i know that was really really beyond heavy...thoughts? and on a brighter note, Christmas ideas? thanks you guys :***


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